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Born in Florence, 1200; died
17 February, 1310, at Mount
Senario, near Florence. He
was the son of Bernard
Falconieri, a merchant
prince of Florence, and one
of the leaders of the
Republic. His family
belonged to the Guelph
party, and opposed the
Imperialists whenever they
could consistently with
their political principles.
Alexis grew up in the
practice of the most
profound humility. He joined
the Laudesi, a
pious confraternity of
the
Blessed Virgin, and
there met the six future
companions of his life of
sanctity. He was favoured
with an apparition of the
Mother of God, 15
August, 1233, as were these
companions. The seven soon
afterwards founded the Order
of the Servites. With
consistent loyalty and
heroism Alexis at one
abandoned all, and retired
to La Camarzia, a house on
the outskirts of the town,
and the following year to
Mt. Senario. With
characteristic humility, he
traversed, as a mendicant,
in quest of alms for his
brethren, the streets of the
city through which he had
lately moved as a prominent
citizen. So deep and sincere
was him humility that,
though he lived to the great
age of hundred and ten
years, he always refused to
enter the priesthood, of
which he deemed himself
unworthy. The duties of our
Saint were confined
principally to the material
needs of the various
communities in which he
lived. In 1252 the new
church at Cafaggio, on the
outskirts of Florence, was
completed under his care,
with the financial
assistance of Chiarissimo
Falconieri. The
miraculous image of the
Annunciation, still highly
venerated in Italy, had its
origin here. St. Juliana
Falconieri, his niece, was
trained in sanctity under
his personal direction. The
influence exerted on his
countrymen by Alexis and his
companions may be gathered
from the fact that in a few
years ten thousand persons
had enrolled themselves
under the banner of the
Blessed Virgin in the
Servite Order. At his death
he was visited by the Infant
Jesus in visible form,
as was attested by
eye-witnesses. His body
rests near the church of the
Annunciation, in Florence.
Clement XI declared
Alexis worthy of the
veneration of the faithful,
1 December, 1717, and
accorded the same honour to
his six companions, 3 July
1725. |
